Chapter 32 Killing Two Birds with One Stone (4)

Chapter 32 Killing Two Birds with One Stone (4)

* * *

The next morning.

The Huashan Sect was thrown into uproar.

“Someone tried to take the senior master’s life!?”

Fortunately, the Head of the Guest Hall and the Head of the Discipline Committee stepped in to quell the rumors, preventing them from spreading beyond the mountain.

But how could this be considered an ordinary matter?

“…Good heavens.”

“How could such a thing happen?”

Not only the formal disciples, but even some of the lay disciples who paid tuition fees to study felt uneasy, causing a commotion as they tried to send letters back to their families.

Especially Yu Zhangming and Zhao Hun, sworn brothers with Ha Jin’ak, were terrified and rushed to the Plum Blossom Pavilion.

Blocking their path was not the head physician, Cheonghowon, but their master, Baek Dan-hyeon himself.

“Calm yourselves.”

“How can we calm down!”

Yu Jang-myeong’s face was filled with a peril he never usually showed.

His face, pale and ashen, held a resolve that suggested he would never retreat until he confirmed Ha Jin-ak was safe.

How could Jo Hun remain calm when his elder brother Yu Jang-myeong was facing execution?

Baek Dan-hyeon knelt down himself, crouching beside Yu Jang-myeong, and gently teased the hair of the restless Jo Hun beside him.

“Jang-myeong, let’s not shout in front of the child.”

“But… Master…”

As Yu Jang-myeong’s words trailed off, choked with tears, Baek Dan-hyeon forced a smile to lighten the mood.

“Jin-ak is safe. There were those who sought to harm him, but fortunately, your disciple stopped them before they could reach him.”

“The enemy?!”

At those words, Yu Jang-myeong’s eyes widened in relief.

“Then where is Jieyi now? Is he hurt?”

“Ah, calm down.”

Baek Dan-hyeon’s reminder made Yu Jang-myeong realize he’d overreacted, and he composed himself.

Only then did Baek Dan-hyeon’s lips slowly part.

“He went down alone, on his own.”

“…Alone?”

“Yes.”

Baek Dan-hyeon produced the letter written in Qinghowen’s handwriting.

Its contents were rather concise.

He had gone to check on the eldest brother’s condition, encountered a suspicious figure, and intended to pursue the person watching him from behind.

At the end, a simple handwritten signature proving it was Gu Yang-jeok was written, leaving Yoo Jang-myeong no choice but to believe it.

In truth, that letter was a forgery Baek Dan-hyeon had hastily fabricated for Gu Yang-jeok, who had rushed down the mountain.

But seeing the signature, Yu Jang-myeong would never have suspected it was merely a cursory glance.

Nevertheless, just in case, Baek Dan-hyeon swiftly hid the letter inside his sleeve.

“Still, to go down without reporting to the head of the sect. He must have been in quite a hurry.”

“The enemy…”

Yu Zhangming propped his chin on his fingers, lost in thought.

Though Gu Yangji might seem like a lone wolf at times, he wasn’t the type to act recklessly on his own.

Moreover, at the Plum Blossom Clinic where Ha Jin’e was, weren’t there members of the Huashan Sect, including Qinghuo Yuan?

They were stronger than Gu Yangji, certainly not weaker.

Then, a spark flashed before Yu Zhangming’s eyes.

‘Right! Master Gu Yang received the Zixiao Pill.’

If so, Qinghouwen and the other physicians would have left their posts for a day to refine the next batch of Zixiao Pills.

Even if they left personnel behind, they would have only left enough to care for Ha Jin’ao, who was now in a stable condition.

As a disciple of the Sect Leader and also Ha Jin-ak’s disciple, he had once witnessed that process.

Then why had Gu Yang-ji set out alone?

“…I don’t know.”

It was like looking at a painting smeared with black paint; there was nothing to infer.

Suddenly, he realized Baek Dan-hyeon’s gaze was coldly piercing his cheek.

Yu Zhangming bowed lightly and said.

“My hesitation was long. I apologize.”

“Zhangming.”

“Yes.”

Bai Danxian’s face hardened.

“Regardless, that scoundrel has now arbitrarily left the Huashan Sect. He will surely accumulate bloodshed, vowing to avenge his senior brother. Therefore, you must not get swept up in it either.“

”……I understand.“

As he spoke, Yoo Jang-myeong held a bitter smile.

Even after resolving the Golden Ring Conference affair, even after revealing the Nameless One at the Nine Dragons Tournament, even after carrying on the senior brother’s legacy—was he still just a prodigal son?

Yoo Jang-myeong’s lips parted weakly.

”I will take my leave now.“

”Very well.”

As Baek Dan-hyeon dismissed him, Yoo Jang-myeong turned away alongside Jo Hoon.

Once they had put some distance between themselves and Baek Dan-hyeon, Jo Hoon, who had been fidgeting nervously with his fingers, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Senior Brother Yoo.”

“Hm?”

“When the Sect Leader spoke about Senior Brother Gu Yang, he didn’t seem displeased, did he?”

“……!”

Hearing Jo Hun’s words, he recalled that Baek Dan-hyeon’s expression hadn’t been as angry as before.

Yu Jang-myeong swallowed the new doubt welling up inside him and straightened his robe.

The Plum Blossom Pavilion was before them.

“Hun-ah, since we’re going to see the Grand Elder, keep your posture straight.”

Stand tall.

Hold your gaze steady.

This was the conduct Ha Jin-ak always emphasized for disciples of the Huashan Sect.

Plum Blossoms Never Fall.

Better to fall by one’s own hand than be crushed by another’s.

Only after Ha Jin-ak had fallen did Yoo Jang-myeong realize how precious those words truly were.

Squeak-

The door to the Plum Blossom Clinic opened, revealing Ha Jin-ak. For a moment, Yu Jang-myeong’s face seemed to collapse in tears.

“Jang-myeong, don’t cry in front of the child.”

Recalling Baek Dan-hyeon’s words, Yu Jang-myeong forced his eyes wide and held back.

Jo Hoon, too, like Yu Jang-myeong, held back his tears.

Thump, thump.

They walked three steps like that, approaching the bedchamber of Ha Jin-ak, who remained unconscious.

“This foolish younger brother greets you, Senior Brother.”

And with a sob stifled, he offered his first greeting in ten long days.

When he lifted his head again, a newfound strength was etched upon the faces of the two men.

* * *

Meanwhile.

Gu Yangjie was in a quiet mountain village, changing into shabby clothes and packing his climbing gear.

“This is such a worthless endeavor.”

Clatter, clatter.

As Gu Yangjie shook his body once, iron nails burst through the cloth bundle and fell in a tumult.

Surely, when he lived at the blacksmith’s, they said the leather wrapping was incredibly tough, wouldn’t tear even after a season.

‘Typical merchant talk.’

Gu Yangjeok cursed the blacksmith who had been bragging about being from the Iron Palm Gang or whatever.

But even he had a point.

The weight of those iron nails was no small matter.

Weighing a whopping five guan, and the way they were strapped on inevitably caused the load to shift to one side.

So, for Gu Yangjeok, who had specifically asked for the ends to be sharpened to a point, it was practically like he’d brought this on himself.

It wasn’t that Gu Yangjeok didn’t know this, but he still couldn’t help feeling displeased.

“Damn iron bars.”

Gu Yangji picked up the iron nail, his face deeply furrowed.

His pocket was already torn anyway. He planned to pierce it completely with the large nail and then drag it along.

‘Isn’t this going to wear out the tip?’

Just as Gu Yangji was seriously pondering this, a worker appeared.

“Hey, you! Do you even know where you’re walking?”

Recognizing the man blocking his path, Gu Yangjeok let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re that blacksmith who was bragging about being the ‘Iron Bar Master’ earlier, aren’t you?”

At that, the bearded man chuckled heartily.

“Now I’m a hero of the Green Forest!”

“What?”

Even if it was a joke, what kind of wordplay was that? Gu Yangji couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha!”

Seeing this, the man tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Young man, don’t you understand your own situation?”

“You’re the one whose eyes have gone a bit haywire, I see.”

“You?”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, emitting an ominous glint.

“If we’re talking about the martial arts cultivated by this first-rate master…!”

“Three-Section Seizing Hand, Iron Palm? And you’ve only mastered them a little, right?”

When Gu Yangji accurately named the martial arts he had mastered, the man became extremely flustered and stammered badly.

“H-how did you…?”

“It’s obvious. Do you think I’ve only seen a few rootless ruffians like you?”

Gu Yangji unfolded the hidden Huashan Sect robe, as if to show it to the man.

“Look! I am Gu… the foremost disciple of the Huashan Sect!”

“Stop lying!”

The man cut Gu Yangji off mid-sentence, speaking with a smug expression.

“Even if I’m just some wandering swordsman from the provinces, how could I possibly impersonate someone from Huashan?”

At those words, Gu Yangji’s face instantly turned cold.

“Oh, is that so?”

Being told he didn’t look like a Taoist was something he could tolerate only once or twice.

After briefly considering whether he really had to endure contempt even from such a worthless fellow, Gu Yangjeok shook his head lightly and said.

“Whether I’m a real Taoist of the Huashan Sect or not, it seems like you’re going to get beaten up either way.”

Sssshhh…….

As Gu Yangji lightly stirred his Purple Sea Qi, the man broke out in a cold sweat.

The sheer volume of internal energy he sensed, disproportionate to his age, was no joke.

Only now realizing his disadvantage, the man forced a smile and began to beg.

“Judging by your noble tone, you truly are a Taoist. Heh heh, I apologize.”

“Too late, you bastard.”

Gu Yangji flicked his fist out with a sharp crack.

A moment later.

Clunk, clunk.

The man had to trudge along behind Gu Yangji, burdened with countless loads.

Occasionally, the tip of a nail would pierce his skin, causing the man’s expression to grimace.

“Ouch, that stings!”

“Pain is the path to maturity. Can’t you walk faster?”

Along with words unbecoming of his age came a fleeting glimpse of profound inner strength.

‘He must be older than he looks, which is why he addressed me so abruptly…?’

Gulp.

The man’s demeanor toward Gu Yangji had shifted from lowly to almost groveling.

“Um, what is your esteemed name?”

“So you can go around slandering me to the whole neighborhood?”

“Oh, no, not at all!”

Despite the man’s frantic denial, Gu Yangjeok shot him a skeptical glance.

He was the very same man who had just moments ago flipped like a pancake, claiming he was a Green Forest bandit.

What good would it do now to scramble and grovel?

‘Seems like he’s a bit deluded.’

But there was no need to correct him.

Gu Yangjeok chuckled inwardly, cleared his throat, and pointed with his finger.

“Let’s head over there.”

“Aye!”

Watching the man produce that ridiculous foreign accent, Gu Yangjeok gave a hollow laugh and followed behind.

The man’s efforts to constantly adjust his posture to avoid dropping the iron nail were admirable, but from behind, it looked utterly grotesque.

Just as Gu Yangjeok was seriously considering giving him a good kick…

“We’ve arrived!”

“Have we?”

Gu Yangjeok put on his most dignified air, hands clasped behind his back, and approached the destination.

Oil-Flowing Stone Mountain.

Or Seated Buddha’s Hand Mountain, as it was also known—a strange peak.

The former name was a folk designation, given because oil flowed from its center despite being made of stone.

The latter was a Buddhist name, given because even the strongest men couldn’t climb it, making it resemble the palm of a seated Buddha.

Considering the names were given during the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, and this place lies between Shaanxi and Henan, it was a highly unusual formation.

When territories overlapped, Daoists and Buddhists would typically give the mountain different names.

‘Why did the Quanzhen Sect yield its unique name to Shaolin?’

The Quanzhen Sect, which had established itself on Mount Zhongnan before the Huashan Sect emerged.

Would they have surrendered the name without reason in an era when Wang Zhongyang, the founder of the Huashan Sect and master of the Grand Master of the School of Learning, was clearly alive?

Gu Yangjie, who was deeply disillusioned with his life as a wandering swordsman at the time, sensed something peculiar here and thoroughly searched Zuofu Mountain.

Naturally, he found nothing.

This wasn’t a thought unique to Gu Yangjie; countless martial artists had searched before him.

Among them, the Shaolin Temple was, of course, present.

‘What made them think differently?’

Gu Yangjie tried to recall the events from his past life, but the memory was hazy.

It must have been something trivial.

Yet, because of that incident, Gu Yangjie’s life had changed.

“I’ll borrow it well again this time.”

Muttering such words to himself, Gu Yangjie lifted the iron spike.

He didn’t forget to leave a parting remark for the man.

“Live the rest of your life atoning for your sins.”

“……Yes!”

Watching the man scramble away, Gu Yangjeok focused intently on his work.

He intended to finish the job before the man could settle all his affairs and flee.